The 20th ISDE International Lectures

The 20th ISDE International Lectures, with the theme of “Climate Change Risk and Regenerative Economics: Implications for Digital Earth,” was held on May 13, 2026. Three invited speakers explored emerging climate risks and tipping points, examined the role of Digital Earth in global climate governance particularly through carbon incentive policies, and reflected on the transformative potential of Digital Earth value exchange infrastructures.

Theme: Climate Change Risk and Regenerative Economics: Implications for Digital Earth

Invited Speakers:

Ben Mayer (University of Exeter, UK)

Delton B. Chen (Global Carbon Reward, Australia)

Richard Simpson (International Society for Digital Earth)

Moderator:

Delton B. Chen (Global Carbon Reward, Australia)

Programme:

Short Bio of Invited Speakers:

Ben Mayer

University of Exeter, UK

Ben has 8 years of experience as a sustainability consultant with a primary focus on climate risk. He was the technical lead for the climate risk/TCFD product at Carbon Intelligence (a consultancy), responsible for developing climate risk assessment, climate scenario analysis, and engagement approaches, and he has continued this work within Accenture’s UKI Sustainability Hub and the EMEA Risk and Resilience Community of Practice. Ben earned degrees in Law and Accounting from the University of Otago (New Zealand) and was admitted to the New Zealand Bar as a barrister and solicitor. These perspectives help him understand the core governance and financial materiality aspects of client challenges. He has developed novel approaches to assessing Climate Value at Risk (CVAR) to support understanding of organizational resilience. He is a trained facilitator in Climate Fresk, Adaptation (ADACC), and Biodiversity Collage workshops. Ben is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Global Sustainability Solutions at the University of Exeter, with modules including Global Systems Thinking, Climate Change Science and Solutions, Climate Finance and Investments, and the Theory of Sustainable Transitions. He is active within the Global Systems Institute.

Delton B. Chen

Global Carbon Reward, Australia

Delton is a civil engineer with expertise in climate mitigation, groundwater, hydrology, mining, impact assessment, and geothermal energy. He founded the "Global Carbon Reward", which is a new international policy for managing climate-related risk and meeting the Paris goals. Delton is an expert in the computer simulation of groundwater and soil-water flow, and he is a thought-leader in the development of new public policies based on digital financial assets. Delton developed a taxonomy for systemic risks related to the carbon cycle, a taxonomy for carbon pricing, and the notion of "carbon quantitative easing" (by central banks) for managing systemic risks. Delton has spoken about the carbon reward at COP28, Bank of England and various international conferences.

Global Carbon Reward Initiative

The Global Carbon Reward (GCR) initiative is a project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit corporation based in California, USA. The “carbon reward” is a system-changing policy for funding climate mitigation together with healthy ecosystems, vibrant communities, and reliable clean energy. The operational objective of the policy is to finance global decarbonization at a rate that is consistent with Paris-aligned carbon budgets. The policy is framed by an expanded economic theory that addresses systemic risks to the carbon cycle in addition to social cost of greenhouse gas emissions.

Richard Simpson

International Society for Digital Earth

Richard is the Founding Director and CEO of Meta Moto, an independent consultancy advancing digital engineering, geospatial systems, and infrastructure transformation across utilities, transport, water, energy, and telecommunications. With over 30 years of international experience, he advises governments, infrastructure owners, and industry on future-ready digital strategies, ranging from Digital Twins and BIM–GIS integration to policy governance and asset optimization. In September 2025, he was elected President of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), the global organization promoting geospatial science and digital transformation for sustainability and resilience. A long-standing contributor to international standards and co-author of the Manual of Digital Earth (Springer Nature), Richard bridges science, technology, and governance to deliver practical and impactful solutions to complex challenges. He also serves on boards and advisory panels in aerospace, climate technology, and digital infrastructure, including Kea Aerospace and circular economy ventures. His focus is on enabling organizations to harness digital platforms for societal, environmental, and economic benefit.

Moderator:

Delton B. Chen

Global Carbon Reward, Australia

Extended Materials:

About the previous ISDE International Lectures:

https://www.digitalearth-isde.org/list-34-1.html

About Global Carbon Reward Initiative:

https://globalcarbonreward.org/